


The Sage's Courtship Dance

by Kazaha_87



Series: From hot embers back to fire [1]
Category: Kyou Kara Maou!
Genre: Courtship, Fluff, Light Angst with a Happy Ending, M/M, MuraWolf, Rated T for language, Wolfram's POV in third person, Yuuri is not such a jerk I promise, but this is a MurataXWolfram because I just love them too much
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-15
Updated: 2016-09-21
Packaged: 2018-08-15 04:50:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 13,775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8043193
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kazaha_87/pseuds/Kazaha_87
Summary: Wolfram watched at the sage suddenly very uncertain: in all his life he had acted following what his instinct told him, but this time it was as if he could hear two discordant voices inside his head, one telling him to stay and the other warning him to run.“…what is it you want to show me?”, the blond attempted to probe from him, but Murata only shook his head, a mysterious aura circling him and an unreadable smile on his lips while the eyes glinted in a strange way.“Stay for dinner and you’ll find out. Go, and you’ll never know.”, his statement, final.Despite the voice into his head shouting to leave and never turn back, Wolfram dismounted.





	1. First Dance - Mesto Sospirando

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! I'm sorry in advance for who is waiting the sequel of my other Kyou Kara Maoh's story/series (don't you fear, I'm going to continue it!), but I woke up with this story in mind, and even if I had promised to myself that my next KKM's story would have been a Yuuram, I just seem unable to leave my OTP couple alone... even during my night-dreams! XD  
> So I started it as a short story - something like a long oneshot divided into a few small chapters - but ended up enjoying it a little too much, so it's slowly expanding... It won't become a really big project, but it won't be as short as I thought it would be when I started to write it... it's just that I like them too much, and I love to explore the possibilities which might get them together in the end! ...and then: isn't it falling in love and the game of courting the sweetest (and most thrilling) moment in a relationship?
> 
> I hope you'll enjoy this story and, if you like it leave me a kudos and, if you want, also a comment because I really love to receive them! XD  
> Have a nice time reading this story! :D
> 
> ...oh yeah! I almost forgot: this has nothing to do with dances despite the main title and the chapters' ones, and this is in third person because I'm bad at writing in first person and I'm not really a fan of first person stories most of the times, but it's a Wolfram POV even if sometimes it may appear like an omniscient narrator POV... because I'm omniscient, but I wanted to focus just on Wolfram and his perspective this time... I hope I'm succeeding........ XD
> 
> PS: about any grammar mistake: I'm sorry in advance, but I don't have a beta and I'm not an English-language native (and even adopted), so feel free to help me correct them if you find any really bad ones (or even little ones the same)!

After the ten thousandth quarrel about the most trivial things with Yuuri, Wolfram felt like he had been run over by a horse.

He knew that his own frustration was the only reason of all that growing tension between them, but he was at his limit. He felt it under his skin, through his veins and into his bones: the fire, the rage, and the need…

He had never been a patient person for a start, but even if he had gotten better at it in the last few years, now he felt like he couldn’t control himself for much longer.

And it was a problem, because he felt that the air around him was getting thicker and that he was inexorably going back to the irritable brat he was when Yuuri had come to their world for the first time twelve years earlier, with all that now he was in the middle of his nineties already and acting like that at his age was only deplorable and pitiful.

He was in the middle of a deep, sorrowful breath when he jerked and instinctively turned towards the voice coming from his back and that startled him.

“The sight from here is great, don’t you think?”

“ _Wha---_ “, the blond cried, but the other continued as if he had never been interrupted in the first place.

“Shinou had this balcony built just for me at the time… it was my favorite spot”, he confessed, “because I could watch everything going on inside the castle walls and no one paid attention to me while I observed them from here. It was very much convenient, don’t you think”, he winked at him. “On the other hand”, he went on, “Shinou’s favorite spot was the terrace at the top of the East Tower, from where he could watch at his finally peaceful lands and at the sun rising, everyday’s proof that he had won against the Generator and saved the world.”

“A control freak and a megalomaniac: you really were a nice couple.”, Wolfram commented in a flat and peculiarly tired tone that made the spiteful remark definitely less harsh than usual, while never removing his gaze from the inner court, as if hypnotized by the water spilling from the fountain in the middle of the courtyard.

Despite the not very nice words or the tone of his voice that sounded definitely off, Murata burst out laughing and, at that, Wolfram couldn’t tell how he was able to discern that it was slightly different from usual – kind of more genuine, in a way…

But somehow he knew, and that surprised him again in a totally different way from earlier.

“I was preparing to leave when I saw you up here”, the sage declared when he finally stopped laughing after a long while, and this time, when he spoke, every trace of the previous mirth was gone from his face and eyes and even the atmosphere around him had completely changed, so much so that Wolfram couldn’t refrain himself from silently searching for a reason – in the other’s voice, expression or gestures – behind that sudden seriousness, which was definitely something not as common to see in him as his position would have required him to be all the time instead.

And the sage might have sensed that because, for a moment, he hid his gaze behind the reflection of his lenses and a really fugacious smirk curved up the hems of his lips just to go back to normal the instant later.

“I was wondering if you would be so kind as to escort me to the temple, but I don’t want you to feel obliged to agree, so you are free to refuse if you have some other business to attend to or even if you don’t feel like it. I would understand and I won’t pry further to know about your motives.”, he stated in a detached as much as concerned tone, and it really sounded strange, almost impossible to be.

So, in front of such an unusual request coming from him, in a tone not at all normal, Wolfram hesitated for a long instant, his green eyes almost piercing a hole in Murata’s head while uselessly attempting to read his mind.

But despite his predictable failure in doing so, in the end something in his guts told him to accept his request regardless… but still, it was almost time for the afternoon’s training.

“Are you in a hurry?”, Wolfram only asked and Murata scoffed at the question.

“I’m never in a hurry unless Shin Makoku is in danger, and luckily for us and thanks to our unexpectedly incredibly capable Maoh it is not the case.”, he spitefully remarked and, at Yuuri’s mention, Wolfram stiffened imperceptibly, and despite that first uneasiness of him, he masochistically felt also the urge to reaffirm his position as the Maoh’s fiancé referring to him by his name in his next assertion.

“My first duty and devotion is to Yuuri as you can imagine”, he started to explain his previous question to the sage who, in front of that, heaved a small sigh that he camouflaged behind a fixed smile, “but the second one is to my men. If you’ll wait until the end of my daily training, by the way, I will escort you back.”, Wolfram offered at last and, to that, Murata slightly bowed his head in acknowledgement of the other’s obligation and accepting his suggestion, knowing far too well his own and Lord von Bielefeld’s place towards Yuuri even without the blond's last remark.

“May I watch?”, the double black only asked back after a pondering moment, deciding to move the topic from what they already knew and from what, in a way, had caged them where they were and in their positions.

Wolfram, taken aback by the sudden and atypical question when Yuuri never asked him, not even once, in twelve whole years they were engaged, didn’t answer back and only widened his eyes in surprise.

“I assume this is a yes then…”, the sage added after a few more silent seconds with his usual knowing and slightly mischievous smirk back on his face, and Wolfram had to walk past him and lead the way to the courtyard in order to hide the abrupt and totally inexplicable warmth of his cheeks at the other’s last comment and expression.


	2. Second Dance - Leggiadro Incalzando

As the leader and captain of his troops, it wasn’t strange for him to be observed and studied during training, from his or even both his brothers’ men: he was an example, after all, what their men aimed to become one day and what others could only dream to be.

To be absolutely fair, he loved to be watched and admired: it was his not-so-secret guilty pleasure, after all. It had always been, so he had never felt distracted by anyone’s gaze before then. On the contrary: being watched helped him focus and made him stand out.

…but if that was the case, how come that now one of his _new_ recruits had won in a show-fencing duel against him?

He turned red in shame at his loss in front of his men and the sage, but, as his captain, he congratulated the soldier regardless.

“All right. Now everyone partner up and practice your sword techniques.”, he ordered and when everyone was occupied with their partners, his second in command approached him and took him aside.

“Is everything all right, commander? With all due respect, you don’t seem at your best today… and also…”, he hesitated but, at the end, the curiosity won, “is there a reason behind the Great Sage’s assisting to our daily training?”

Wolfram shrugged in response, maybe, if anything, slightly too quickly.

“He just asked me to, and I feel fine, so don’t worry, Andrew. Now: do you want to practice with me? I’ll show you that it was just a moment of distraction earlier.”

“Captain: for you to get distracted is _not_ normal…”, the other pointed out, growing concerned by his captain’s last admission, but even if he had more freedom to talk than anybody else amongst his men, he was getting too many liberties…

“It’s none of your business, Andrew. So shut up and pluck your sword instead.”, and so they dueled and, this time, Wolfram won, even if by a hair.

When it happened, the blond turned instinctively towards his one spectator and, when the sage smiled and nodded at him, acknowledging his victory, he felt his heart miss a beat and his face turn warm once again before he could realize what was happening to him and regain enough control on his reactions.

His second in command, on the other hand, couldn’t not notice, but, despite that, it wasn’t his place to make a comment about it and so he acted as if he didn’t see anything.

-&-

“Good job!”, Murata cheerfully exclaimed with a broad smile drawn on his face when Wolfram reached him in the shade of the cloister. “Thank you for allowing me to watch. After all, gazing from close at some beautiful men breaking a sweat and molding their bodies is always a nice diversion.”, he hinted with a mischievous grin and a wink and Wolfram suddenly turned bright red up to the ears.

“You’re a pervert! Remind me to _never_ allow you to watch again if these are your motives, then!”, the blond fervently protested back, but Murata broke his train of insults.

“Obviously you were the most beautiful amongst them, Lord von Bielefeld. A diamond among stones. A flower in the meadow.”

“Don’t be ridiculous! And I don’t like flatteries, so stop it already.”, he added, growing even redder if possible.

“It’s no flattery, by the way”, Murata corrected him, “but if you hate it, I can stop anytime, so don’t worry. I promise that I’ll take my opinions about your beauty for myself from now on.”, Murata replied in fair and led the way towards the stable, while Wolfram, left speechless by the boldness of the sage’s last words, this time only followed in silence and just because he had promised him to accompany him to the temple and it was despicable to take back one’s word.

But still, he really had no idea how to read the sage’s last comment about his appearance…

He was engaged, after all… and to the sage’s best friend!


	3. Third Dance - Misterioso

The short journey to the temple was held in silence, and, knowing the chitty-chatty nature of the sage, it was strange in itself.

Even more odd it was maybe the weight of Murata’s insistent gaze on him, when he tried to ignore him and watched the other side or just in front of himself, and even when he looked!

Thinking about it, he was sure that he never felt so much uncomfortable in his entire life as he was now.

When they arrived by the gate and still the sage didn’t open his mouth not even once since his last embarrassing comment about flatteries and his beauty still back at the castle, Wolfram felt the urge to break the silence.

“Then I’ll go back… have a nice evening…”

“What about keeping me company for dinner? You won’t be able to arrive to the castle in time for it anyway, and, after that, I would like to show you something… if you won’t mind.”, he added after a brief pause and his black eyes were as piercing as needles in that inexplicable seriousness they had gained during the horse ride to their destination, because earlier it just wasn’t there.

Wolfram watched at the sage suddenly very uncertain: in all his life he had acted following what his instinct told him, but this time it was as if he could hear two discordant voices inside his head, one telling him to stay and the other warning him to _run_.

“…what is it you want to show me?”, the blond attempted to probe from him, but Murata only shook his head, a mysterious aura circling him and an unreadable smile on his lips while the eyes glinted in a strange way.

“Stay for dinner and you’ll find out. Go, and you’ll never know.”, his statement, final.

Despite the voice into his head shouting to leave and never turn back, Wolfram dismounted.


	4. First Interlude - Furioso

At the inner gate, the two found Ulrike and Shinou waiting for them, the last one with an elbow pinned on the little woman’s shoulder in an ostentatious pose and with a wide grin splitting his face in half, and the first one just standing with a void expression fixed on them.

“I have a guest this evening, as you can see, so we will have dinner in my quarters. Please, Ulrike, tell the other maids for me.”

Wolfram saw the woman’s expression wake up from what evidently earlier was a trance and soften slightly in a hint of a smile in response.

Except for that small sign of acknowledgment, by the way, she said nothing and, judging by the way she glared at the blond deity showing off while using her as a cane when he opened his mouth, he deduced that the previous trance was a mental chat between them that evidently was all for nothing…

“I was going to ask you how long it would have taken you to finally make your move, but it seems that at last you took action! In all these centuries I have always found your prudence overstated, my dear Sage! I was growing a beard waiting for you to do something!”

Wolfram, at the First King’s words, moved his gaze from him to the double black a couple of times in evident confusion, his face unconsciously tingeing itself in pink as if knowing what all that was about even before believing it; but where the sage just ignored him and only rolled his eyes at his first companion, Shinou winked at his descendant instead with a knowing smirk annoyingly plastered on his face that meant a world but that Wolfram wasn’t sure that he _wanted_ to believe.

Nonetheless, once again, the younger blond cursed his previous decision to say ‘yes’ even to the _second_ one of the sage’s requests.

“And I always had to put up with your rashness since the first day I met you, therefore we are even, I believe. So now just mind your own business and disappear from my sight, please. I don’t intend to babysit you tonight.”

“You are always so unkind to me, my Sage. You’ve always been, even when we shared a bed, but nowadays your temper worsened excessively…”, Shinou reprimanded him, attempting to play the part of the victim while throwing here and there knowing glances at his descendant, but Murata wasn’t ready to let him have the upper hand this time.

“And whose fault do you think it is, you troublemaker of a _shadow_?”

At the last word, the atmosphere around them grew suddenly icy with the First King’s cold rage radiating through his volatile maryoku and infecting the air they were breathing.

“And if you have to get offended by the naked truth, then you better not provoke me in the first place, my dear _brother_ ”, Ken harshly retorted, spouting the last word as if it was an insult, his tone as cold and piercing as ice with a sadistic and slightly mocking vein in the back of his voice.

“I’ll make you pay for your insolence, Siegfried.”, Shinou abruptly declared, his rage overwhelming and intoxicating, before disappearing into thin air.

“I would like to remind you that it’s more or less four _millennia_ that that is no more my name. But please”, he went on, “next time wait for when we are alone to put up a show. By the way, as long as you don’t touch my garden and wait for tomorrow, you are free to do whatever you want: I’m already used to your tantrums. It’s more than four thousand years that I bear with you and your terrible temper. I know how to make you run with your tail between your legs. _Believe me_.”, Murata threatened back, his words hissed to the wind now that Shinou had vanished from their view – but he had no doubt that his menaces had been heard!

Then he nodded to the priestess and, while she did the same in return and whispered an heartfelt ‘I’m sorry’ that had no reason to be since it wasn’t her fault if the situation had deranged to such an extent, he hinted at Wolfram to follow him through the maze of corridors to his personal chambers and to some well deserved privacy after the unwelcome exchange with Shinou that they just had.


	5. Fourth Dance - Brillante Scherzoso

Once the door of the sage’s parlor closed behind their back, Murata heaved a very tired sigh; a sigh that, in a way, was worth his four thousand years of forbearance and suffering of lives lived for the noisy and spoiled First King’s sake alone.

“I’m sorry for the scene that you have been a spectator of earlier, Lord von Bielefeld. Regretfully, our First King is capable of always bringing out the worst in me…”, the sage tried to justify himself, but Wolfram shook his head and waved a hand at him as if to say that he had nothing to be sorry for.

“I can only imagine that he deserved it if even Ulrike had to intercede for him with you before leaving.”

Ken crossed the small room and, on his way to the corner with a red armchair under the window – the only trace of color in the room – and a pile of books at both its sides, he grabbed the chair that was at his desk – so full of books itself that there barely was enough space for a pen and an inkpot on the surface – and brought that to his ‘living corner’, placing it in front of the long seat where he gestured to his guest to ease himself into.

“…the truth is that this time it was my fault if he snapped that badly, but he sure was no innocent either, as you could witness with your own eyes only a moment ago. It’s just that this time I called him like I shouldn’t have…”, he explained in slightly further detail, “But it has always been like that between us: once it’s his fault and once it’s mine, so it’s nothing to get worried about.”, he reassured him, his voice now again sounding really worn-out.

“…it must be tiring…”

Wolfram didn’t know what to say, but he knew the feeling all too well, because it was twelve years already that he lived a similar reality with his fiancé every single day…

“I have to kill time, somehow, don’t you think?”, the sage replied with a light snort before changing topic, minimizing. “By the way, I must apologize for the reduced dimension of my quarters here… and for my bad habit of leaving everything around. I’m always eager to bring out the stuff I’m interested in and just as much lazy when it comes the moment to put them back at their places… and I didn’t plan to invite you to stay today, otherwise I would have tidied up and made all these books disappear at least…”, he commented, and, for the first time of the day since he had met the sage on the balcony still back at the castle, Wolfram finally felt at ease again and even started to merrily chuckle, covering his mouth behind the back of his hand.

“Sorry... it’s twelve years that we know each other, but it’s maybe the first time that I see the real you…”, Wolfram explained, maybe in order to justify his impolite behavior and laughter at the sage’s expense. “It always seems that you plan everything in advance, even people’s behavior! It’s always as if you already know what they would say or do.”

To that last remark, it was Ken’s turn to burst out laughing this time, and for the nth time he showed to be much less discreet in his manners than the noble mazoku sat in front of him.

“I’m just good at improvising and at acting cool, but I’ll tell you a secret that I hope you won’t spread around", he replied conspiratorially, "I almost _never_ plan anything in advance if not in broad terms, and absolutely not always… it’s better and more useful to be able to adapt to what shows in front of you rather than to plan everything in detail beforehand, because you should know by now that _nothing_ ever goes like you plan it to go. Ever.”

“As much as you didn’t plan to invite me here today?”, the blond went back to the previous topic (and maybe to the main one).

“...maybe", the sage suggested and then he added an "and definitely I did not plan to invite you here _today_ ” with an amused smile softening his square features and his slightly curled but short and messy and probably as pointy as Yuuri’s thick hair, and the implications behind that last reply were so blatant and the terrain under his feet was so much slippery and perilous to walk on to that a heavy silence ate them after the sage’s last words; but it lasted very shortly because it wasn’t a minute that a providential knock at the door luckily broke it.

It was their food: a perfect diversion as much as a perfect excuse to their silence, at least until they found a new topic to fill it with.

-&-

They had almost finished when the sage finally spoke again, and Wolfram chocked on his bite.

“What made you decide to accept my invitation to stay for dinner?”, he had asked and then, when his guest was still coughing attempting to regain his breath, he even mockingly queried him if it really was such an indiscreet question, chuckling with no trace of shame in himself under the other’s piercing glare.

“I’m sure you already know the answer to your own dim question, Great Sage.”, Wolfram spouted back when he was able to speak again without the risk of chocking once more, this time on his own saliva, addressing him like he did every time that he was angry at him for any reason – even if this time he actually used a curtain of annoyance to hide his embarrassment behind it.

“Yes, but I would like to listen to this from your lips.”, Ken retorted with one of his most mysterious smiles almost imperceptibly curving up his lips, and the blond, after turning his gaze towards a generic point on the floor so to avoid the other’s prying eyes, grunted something like “Certainly it wasn’t my good sense.”

Ken burst out laughing for the umpteenth time of the day already.

“As much as it wasn’t my good sense that made me invite you to stay here for dinner, or that made me come on that balcony to comfort you after what I really don’t need to ask you if it was your last quarrel with your fiancé, or again that made me invite you to escort me here, or request if I could watch at your daily training in the courtyard.”

“Well, at least I’m partly justified as Lord Brat… but you are the Great Sage: you shouldn’t be so lacking in wisdom!”, Wolfram remarked, this time with a half amused, half resigned smile brightening his face, and the double black cracked in the hundredth laughter for that day.

“Maybe I’m getting senile! After so long, my lord, I guess it should be understandable… don’t you think that I’m excused, after all?”, he pouted, and on that face such an expression was only utterly ridiculous.

“…yeah… maybe I can excuse you”, the blond conceded attempting to put up a pose but unable to maintain that for more than a few seconds before starting to openly and uncontrollably chortle again in the other’s face.

But after a while, totally out of the blue, Wolfram sighed heavily.

“…twelve years before discovering that you’re different from what I believed you were…”, he confessed. “I feel a little ashamed… I really misjudged you, and I’m sorry.”

He had never said anything like that to anyone before. Not to Conrad and neither to Yozak, who actually deserved to listen to similar words coming from him just as much as the sage did, and maybe more.

Who knows why now he felt like telling him that?

“On the other hand, you’re exactly like I knew you were… but don’t torment yourself over such a trivial thing: I don’t like to be known, so it’s not completely your fault.”

“But still… I’m sorry.”, he repeated, somehow not content after the first time. “Your company is really enjoyable. It’s such a pity that we wasted twelve years like that, arguing for nothing…”

“But am I not a pervert and a slimy bastard?”, Ken retorted with a mischievous light into his eyes and a half grin, and Wolfram turned slightly pink and diverted his gaze in response.

“…yes, you are.”, he replied at last, not wanting to take back all twelve years of insults all at once after he already apologized _twice_. “But it seems that there’s more under that perverted façade you always wear.”, he still conceded; and to that, when Wolfram was ready for the nth laughter filling the room, Murata incredibly remained silent instead, and he stayed like that, pondering over some unfathomable thoughts, for a long while, so much so that, at some point, the blond felt the urge to break the heavy atmosphere with the question that was intriguing him since he had decided to accept the other’s invitation to stay for dinner.

“So? Now that we finished eating, what did you want to show me?”

Inexplicably as much as his previous silence, the sage scoffed to himself and almost imperceptibly started to slowly shake his head, his voice suddenly as serious and definitive as death.

“Please, don’t get angry at me for my sudden decision, my lord”, Ken started while abruptly rising from his seat, “but you will have to wait for another occasion to see it, because I definitely won’t show that to you today.”, he stated, and Wolfram stood up in reflex at his host’s sudden movement, but his expression showed all his disorientation for that last assertion.

_Did he do or say anything wrong without noticing?_

“You did nor said anything wrong, my lord”, Ken replied as if the question was pronounced out loud instead of being just into his own head, “so please: just read it as an old man’s whim and don’t ruminate on it for longer than necessary. It’s not a matter worth any loss of your precious time.”

Everything was so strange…

“Are you doing it on purpose?”, he asked, but his instinct told him that, despite the sage’s natural propensity for mischief, just this once it wasn’t the case.

…and in fact…

“No. Not this time. As I told you earlier, I almost never plan anything in advance, and this one is just one of those times.”, he confessed, and the blond was sure that that was the truth.

Without thinking but out of pure instinct, then, one question among all the ones Wolfram could ask came out of his mouth: “Will you ever show that to me?”

Murata snorted, his eyes suddenly old and sad for some unknown reason.

“…maybe”, he replied after a pause with a sudden wide smile on his face, still in contrast with the sadness into his eyes, and it sounded so much like a lie that Wolfram glared at him in response while suddenly grabbing both the sage’s hands in his, their gazes locked together.

“I’ll come back in a week, and I want you to show me whatever it is you convinced me to stay for today.”

“So greedy, my lord!”, Ken retorted while gently but firmly freeing himself from the other’s grip. “It doesn’t suit your status at all! What would your uncle say if he heard you now?”, the sage replied, his tone and face a perfect mirror of a mocking indifference.

“But that’s how I am: I don’t like secrets, and I hate that expression on your face.”, the blond retorted with his disarming honesty, blowing a hard strike to Ken’s defenses before he was able to raise up his shields.

And so the sage snorted again, a scoff to himself and to what might only be his being taken off guard over such a thing as a conversation by such a young and impulsive creature as the blond in front of him was.

“I’ll think about it”, the sage conceded at last, “but I won’t assure you that your wish will be granted.”

Wolfram studied him for a long, eternal moment, when he recognized the challenge into Murata’s eyes and, thinking back at the tone of his voice during his last declaration, he had the last confirmation that he needed for that.

“Then I will come every week during my free day starting from next week – that means that you’ll see me again here in nine days from now – until you’ll show me what I want to see.”

“…then we will see who will get tired sooner…”, Ken challenged him now openly, and this time it was Wolfram’s turn to snort at him.

“I can be very persistent when I want to”, he retorted and, bowing at his host definitely not enough for their social statuses’ conventions, he left with that promise without waiting for the sage to show him the way out.


	6. Second Interlude - Furioso Incalzando

It was already dark outside and, knowing his fiancé’s habits, Wolfram was sure that Yuuri was preparing to go to bed by now.

Despite that fact and that he could have waken him at his return to their common bedroom, and despite the fact that he knew his brothers – especially Gwendal – and so he knew that the more he delayed his return, the more questions he would have needed to answer at his arrival, he still didn’t feel like going back. So he roamed around by horse for another few hours before finally turning around and heading to the castle, hoping that that was enough to delay the interrogation to the morning – better be, with a bit of luck, after a good night sleep too.

…not that he really confided in that last point, anyway… not after such a dreadful day.

After ninety-four years of living with his two brothers, by the way, it seemed that he had guessed the time just all right to momentarily avoid their tantrums; but he really didn’t imagine to find his fiancé still up at past one in the morning in the royal chambers, not in the bed where he was sure to find him snoring, but in the parlor, reading on the sofa while evidently waiting for him to return with a very annoyed expression painted all over his face the moment he had opened the door.

And Wolfram couldn’t make it into the room and close the door behind himself that Yuuri started to question him.

“Where have you been all this time? Did you see what time it is?!”

But Wolfram was too tired for that and just scowled at him in response.

“I’m in no mood for that, so leave me alone and let me go to sleep already.”, he spouted and, ignoring his fiancé, he just started to get undressed even before reaching the screen where he kept his nightgown folded on a chair behind it.

“Are you still angry for our quarrel?”, Yuuri asked, his tone slightly exasperated. “Is that why it took you so long before deciding to finally come back to sleep? Because you wanted to avoid me?”

… _the quarrel… that’s true…_

_He had almost forgotten about that…_

“The world doesn’t always revolve around you, you know, Yuuri!?”, he spouted back, and the Maoh seemed taken aback by Wolfram’s reply.

“Then why didn’t you retire sooner if that wasn’t the case?”, the double-black asked, his surprise still in his voice as well as into his eyes, and that made Wolfram just snap.

“As I already told you, the world just doesn’t revolve around you only, and it’s none of your business what I do during my free-time, Yuuri.”

“We are engaged, so _it_ _is_ my business too: I deserve to know if my fiancé comes back late at night and _why_.”

But at these last words, now, Wolfram felt his blood boiling into his veins and his fire mounting just under his skin with an impetus that he barely found himself able to control with his actual level of tiredness for that day.

But if he was able to contain his fire under his skin, he actually wasn’t able to do the same with his voice.

“ _So now I’m your fiancé?! Do you remember the last time we_ kissed _, Yuuri?!_ ”, he shouted with no control, totally uncaring about the late hour, unable to cage back his mounting rage inside him. “ _And do you realize_ ”, he went on, “ _that you_ never _made the first move in_ twelve whole years _?! That you never tried to seduce me! That you_ never started a fucking kiss!! _Do you really see me like that?! Do you even have impulses and needs? Because I have them, and I just know that I’ll go crazy in a matter of_ seconds _already if you don’t make me fuck you senseless here and now!_ ”

“Wolf……please, calm down and lower your voice… it’s the middle of the night----”

“I don’t give a fuck about what time it is, and don’t you dare ‘Wolf’ me now, Yuuri! You started it! It’s twelve fucking years that we are engaged and we only kissed seven times! _SEVEN_!”, he continued yelling, far past the point of no return. “How can you ever _dream_ that it is enough for me?! I’m worn out of jerking off on my own in the _bathroom_ because you can’t take care of your duties as my fiancé after that you were the one who asked for my hand!”

“…Wolf… how many times must I repeat that---”

“SHUT. UP! Do you really think that you can have the last word this time too?!” Wolfram blocked him midsentence, and right when it fell a short moment of silence after his last yelling, someone knocked at their door.

“Whoever it is, just fuck off elsewhere!”, he went on shouting, this time addressing the one – or ones – behind their door.

_Shinou! How long had it been since the last time that he snapped like that?! Eight years? Nine?_

_…he knew that it was getting out of hand, but he just couldn’t stop yelling!_

But Yuuri might have sensed that too, because, right when someone opened the door regardless of Wolfram’s menaces and shouting, the double black just cupped the other’s face into his hands and squeezed hard while smacking his own two lips against Wolfram’s for the first time on his own accord in order to silence him.

And while Conrad closed the door back again at that sight, deciding not to interfere, thankfully the trick worked. At least until, after deepening the kiss, Wolfram started to strip Yuuri naked and threw him against the wall, ready to fuck him there without caring about the fact that it would have been the other’s first time and that he would have needed preparation.

But then the Maoh grabbed him by his wrists and switched positions with him, taking that animal-like Wolfram under control with brutal force, maybe the only thing, except for his maryoku, in which he could win against the blond.

“Enough”, Yuuri hissed, his eyes glinting blacker than usual, the power within him still not fully awake but slowly stirring up.

But if usually that was enough to make Wolfram calm down and collect himself again to a certain level of dignity, this time it just wasn’t, because the blond just started to fight back instead and he seemed possessed, totally unable to control his body and his instinctive reactions at all.

In spite of that, when Wolfram realized that he had no chance of winning against the Maoh, he started to yell again, and with the cries they came the tears, copious and warm along his cheeks.

…and it was the first time that he had showed his tears to anybody in more than seventy years, when his father died and he was still a child-mazoku…

 

By the way, and maybe luckily for him, after that shameful memory, the morning later he remembered nothing else.


	7. Third Interlude – Piuttosto Agitato

The next eight days before the coming day of the promise he had made with the sage were _at best_ odd. At worst they were dreadful.

For a start, probably because of the uproar he had caused the previous night, neither of his brothers had questioned him about where he had been until that late.

Then, wherever he went and whomever he talked to, everybody looked at him weirdly and the moment he turned his back at them they started to chit-chat among themselves in a low voice.

Not that he couldn’t imagine the nature of the comments spoken behind his back, but it felt so humiliating that he really wanted to try not to think about it…

Another incredible change occurred in the Maoh’s behavior when they were alone, and especially in the morning when they woke up and late at night when they went to sleep: he had started to kiss him good morning and good night. It sure was just a peck, but it definitely was more than he had ever done in twelve years! …but he also seemed more cautious around him, and that made that gesture that should only be expected after so long slightly unnatural…

But when even his brother Gwendal, eight days from the mayhem he had made in the Royal Chambers, watched at him strangely – almost pitifully – once he had gone to his office for a report, he couldn’t take it anymore.

“Am I really such pitiful and laughable material inside the castle that even you had started to look at me with those eyes?!”, he queried, his green orbs flashing flames and his face distorted in an exasperated mask.

He was at his limit.

Gwendal said nothing, so Wolfram went on.

“There’s no need to look at me like that, brother: yes, after twelve years of engagement I’m still a virgin. So stop it already if you want to listen to my report about the northern border situation. That even you can’t control yourself in front of me, by the way, is incredibly humiliating for my person. I’m asking myself if it is not the case to leave the castle for a few days.”

Gwendal seemed to seriously ponder about it and, in the end, he nodded and sighed.

“I suppose it’s not such a bad idea, after all.”, he commented at last, but before he could say anything else Wolfram stopped him.

“Tomorrow is my free day and I already have something on my schedule, but I can definitely leave from the day after tomorrow.”

“Then you’ll inform your squad that in two days you will leave for one month’s patrol with ten of your men for the eastern border in your uncle’s territories. The other of them will train under Conrad for the time being.”

Wolfram, at his brother’s orders, only bowed in acknowledgement of the command and left without another word, hoping to find enough volunteers with such a short notification, because he didn’t want to force his men to leave for a whole month, and only for his own sake.


	8. Fourth Interlude - Dolente

“Starting the day after tomorrow I’ll be away for a month.”, the blond stated once he joined his fiancé on the bed that night.

He didn’t look at Yuuri while informing him of the news and only fixed his gaze on the floral frescoed ceiling upon their heads instead.

…he knew every brushstroke of it by now, every shade and nuance after so many long restless nights passed next to the man he loved without being allowed to touch him…

Yuuri didn’t even turn towards him as he expected him to do and only hummed in response.

“Then good night”, Wolfram said at his lack of a reply then, breaking the silence and turning the other way, not expecting to receive that new ‘bonus’ from him tonight after such a cold reaction.

“Is it because of the voices spreading around the castle?”, Yuuri asked him then, still without moving and watching at the ceiling too as when the blond had joined him there.

Wolfram didn’t turn towards him either to reply to his question.

“Yes. My brother suggested that I go on a patrol at Bielefeld with some of my men for a while.”, he replied in a flat tone, uncaring about the fact that his blunt affirmation could make Yuuri feel guilty.

_Actually, he deserved it, because it was his fault and his fault alone if he had become the new laughing stock of the castle._

Not that he wasn’t that even before then, but what previously was just a speculation, now it was a sure thing.

“I’m sorry, Wolf…”

_Good! Let’s pick at scabs!_

Wolfram scoffed at him and, this time, he turned towards him, pinning his elbow on the mattress in order to sustain his weight in that position.

“If you really are sorry, you know what you have to do.”, he scathingly replied, his eyes darting and annoyed.

But Yuuri diverted his eyes, unable to sustain his glare.

“You know what?”, the blond stated at last, worn out. “I think I’ll sleep in my own quarters tonight.”

To that, he saw Yuuri jump to a sitting position and open his mouth as if he wanted to stop him… and then close it again and lower his gaze on the ground.

_…so the kisses where just smoke and mirrors to keep him calm…_

Not that he didn’t know that from the start, but having proof of it was really depressing.

In retrospect, it would have been nice if that play had lasted longer than just a few days…

Luckily for him, he was going to leave for a while…


	9. Fifth Dance - Scherzoso con brio

The ninth morning from his promise to the sage Wolfram slept until late and missed breakfast with everybody.

It might have been past dawn that he had finally given up to slumber because he remembered having seen the sun rise from his window. But it was his free day at last, so why not? He didn’t have to explain himself to anybody during that single day of the week, so who cared if he slept a little longer, or just didn’t show up for meals?

He had already given word to one of the barn men to prepare his horse for the morning, so everything he had to do once out of his bed was wash himself and get dressed.

And despite that, in his path from his private chambers – where luckily he kept some spare clothes for any occurrence so that he didn’t need to go back to the Royal Chambers to get dressed if he slept there – to the stable he crossed _the world,_ not a single one of them looking at him straight in the face and a few of them even wearing mocking expressions on their faces in his wake.

He greeted no one, not even his brothers or Yuuri – because he crossed them too, obviously – along the way and he just headed straight to the barn and to his faithful white stallion, ready to be mounted as commanded.

So he brought it outside at hand and then jumped on its back with his usual smoothness and spurred it, reaching a full gallop-speed even before reaching the walls gates.

He didn’t stop until he reached the temple front gate.

-&-

When he arrived, a maid brought him to the front door while another took care of his horse and, once they reached the inner door, Ulrike showed up and, with just a nod, she accompanied him inside the Waterfall room, where she leaved him to wait while she went to announce his arrival to the Great Sage.

“I was sure that you had better things to do than coming here so early, my lord.”, Murata greeted him with an impish grin curving up his lips. “Actually, I must admit that I was waiting for you to show up only this late afternoon, so I must warn you that my books are still invading my private chambers, and that the situation is even worse than it was at your last visit...”

Wolfram snorted amused and cracked a knowing smile in response.

His first smile in nine days.

“Why don’t you just admit that you were waiting for me to help you put them back at their places?”

Now Murata broadly smiled at him.

“So you caught me, my lord!”, he played along. “…then I guess that afterwards I will have to share my reserve of chocolates with you as sign of gratitude for your help…”, he tickled the other’s known sweet tooth with his favorite sweet flavor since the first time he had been on Earth and, to the kind offer, Wolfram’s eyes shined in anticipation.

“I’m here to serve, Your Eminence!”, he replied eager, and he somehow couldn’t stop smiling, every grief suddenly vanished.

He even jokingly offered the sage a maid-style curtsy that made the double black smirk at him in response.


	10. Sixth Dance - Patetico

“My lord! It is true that I said that you could eat them at your heart's content, but please, save some! I don’t know when I’ll be able to go back to Earth, after all. If you finish them all today, what am I supposed to offer you next week?”

Ken winked at Wolfram playfully but the blond clouded over all of a sudden.

“What is it? Am I winning already?”, he tried with a joking tone to lighten up the atmosphere a little, but somehow he only did worse.

“I’m leaving for one month’s patrol tomorrow morning with some of my men.”, Wolfram proclaimed in a neutral tone and Ken stiffened.

“Any reports of rioting somewhere?”, the sage promptly asked, suddenly alarmed, but this time Wolfram lowered his gaze.

“Nothing of the sort. No need to get alarmed…”, he replied, his tone off, so much so that he seemed another person entirely from the one he had been until just a moment before.

Ken fell silent all of a sudden and studied him, his black eyes prying into his soul for an answer.

At a certain point, Wolfram saw his dark eyes widen and the sage turning pale with concern… a concern that he didn’t see even into his brothers eyes during the past few days.

That unsettled him dreadfully.

“What happened at the castle while I wasn’t there that made you decide to leave for so long?”, the sage inquired, dead serious and even with a murderous intent coming off him in waves.

Wolfram swallowed hard in response and, for a few moments, he remained silent, desperately searching for something to say without sounding pathetic.

…he couldn’t find any other word to say in order to avoid that than “Nothing.”

But, at his own denial – last attempt to keep his own dignity intact at least with him – Wolfram saw the sage’s gaze harden.

_Was he really getting angry for his sake?_

_Wasn’t he mistaken, was he?_

But what reason might he ever have for that? They weren’t even friends…

Despite those last thoughts, or maybe precisely for that, the blond suddenly felt like crying.

…not even his brothers or his fiancé had seemed to care about what happened after that night: they just worked to take him at bay, or to make the gossip just naturally die with time…

He bit his lower lip while his eyes dampened and his breath became slightly uneven.

He wanted to speak, to reassure the sage that everything was all right and that there was no need for him to worry for his sake, but he just couldn’t.

He threw a glimpse at the chocolates still on the table in front of him and somehow that small attempt of the sage to spoil him ever so slightly was the final straw that made him crack: he just covered his face with both his hands and broke down in tears and sobs, for the second time in such a short while and without any more restraints.

Maybe he was closer to his breaking point than he thought he was at start…

He only knew that he wasn’t able to recognize himself these days!

But what could he do about it?! What could he do _alone_?

…he needed Yuuri to help him. They needed to find a way out of this draining situation at all costs and as soon as possible if they didn’t want to turn crazy… but after what happened the previous night, he supposed that his fiancé was in no better shape than he was by now.

…maybe they both were at their limit…

Maybe there was no hope for their love to bloom…

Luckily he had to hold it together just one more night and then, for a full month, he would have been able to breathe at his uncle’s place.

And that thought, together with the sage soothingly caressing his hair while cuddling him against his standing body now next to his chair, at last was able to make him calm down and regain some of his usual composure.


	11. Seventh Dance - Agitato Ritenuto

“I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to---”

“You’re not the one who needs to be sorry here, Wolfram.”, he cut him off, calling him by his name for the first time, and when the blond abruptly raised his gaze on him, surprised, the double black turned peculiarly pink in what might only be embarrassment, a feeling that Wolfram was sure that the sage didn’t know at all before that very moment. “…I mean Lord von Bielefeld”, he quickly corrected himself when he noticed his mistake too late, but Wolfram shook his head and, diverting his eyes after the brief shock, he flushed too.

“Wolfram is ok…”, he allowed in a muffled whisper. “I don’t mind…”

A self-conscious silence followed then, their hands abruptly falling along their chests with no aim to be anymore and their bodies suddenly too close to one another for their respective comfort.

“…what I meant is that after so long it’s only natural if you reached your breaking point. Better yet: you had shown to be really persistent, so no one should blame you of your behavior now. I’d like to see anybody else at your place. I’m sure that they won’t last a week!”

Wolfram turned suddenly red at the sage’s last words, because _no one_ ever told him anything like that before then. No one ever acknowledged his efforts and endurance before: everybody recognized the Maoh’s patience in putting up with him – Lord Brat – but no one ever considered his suffering… not even his brothers most of the time!

“Why, sage?”, Wolfram asked out of the blue at a certain point, his voice a broken whisper, and the double black this time could only watch at him with a puzzled look: the question, in fact, seemed to be too generic even for him.

“Why are you consoling me?”, the blond queried then after a pause, trying to explain himself better, and to that he saw the other’s eyes widen in surprise for a fleeting moment before going back to normal. “You don’t even know what happened… why aren’t you blaming me like everybody else? Why aren’t you mocking me like you always did in the past? Don’t I deserve it? After all I’m the laughing stock of the entire castle by now: you can laugh at Lord Virgin Brat’s expense like they like to call me now, after all, together with everybody else…”

And at his own last words, then, the demon recognized pure shock in the sage’s features. It was just a fleeting instant, but he did notice.

Despite that, Murata made that last topic die, pretending he didn’t hear that, and concentrated on the blond’s other questions instead.

“You only deserve consolation, Wolfram, and whoever affirms the contrary deserves to live in pain the rest of their lives.”, he spitefully replied and Wolfram scoffed at him now.

“Incredible!”, he exclaimed suddenly cynical, finally back to his own self – at least on the surface – “Who would have thought that the Great Sage – the Maoh’s best friend – was instead my only other supporter together with my uncle? But don’t you fear, Your Excellency: your secret is safe with me!”, he made a pause and then he added a bitter “After all, who would ever listen to me?”

Then, something incredible _almost_ happened at his last tart comment: Wolfram witnessed the sage’s right hand stretch and stiffen and then raise in the air, and right before falling on his left cheek clasp close and quickly retract.

“…stop it”, the sage commanded instead, his voice slightly and peculiarly trembling and strangled. “Moping on yourself does not suit you.”, he declared, and Wolfram wanted to say something to that, to ask him about his self-killed gesture, but he discovered just then that his voice was trapped in a knot in his throat and his heart was attempting to run from its cage, his head was spinning and his ears were ringing.

They watched at each other for an eternal moment when the sage broke the tense silence.

“What about some tea?”, he suggested still clearly uncomfortable while already approaching the door, and Wolfram, in reply, only started to move his head repeatedly up and down in a still shocked nodding that continued even after the other was gone.


	12. Fifth Interlude - Fuga

The moment the door closed again Wolfram’s hand moved on its own and slammed itself over his chest, where his heart was hammering like crazy; and he started to pant, his eyes locked on the wooden panel behind which the sage had just disappeared.

_What was that?_

…but most importantly: why was he feeling _disappointed_?!

Horrified by his own thoughts, the blond jumped on his feet and started to walk up and down the small room like a caged animal.

He couldn’t stay any longer, because he couldn’t control his emotions anymore.

He was _the Maoh_ ’s fiancé, and he loved him, after all – even if he was tired… no: literally worn out, but who cares?! He loved him, heart and soul.

…and Yuuri didn’t deserve an unfaithful fiancé, not even if the unfaithfulness was only in the secret of his mind where no one could pry into other than him!

Yuuri was kind. He was patient. And strong, inside and out.

He didn’t deserve it.

Then, abruptly, Wolfram stopped, and first he looked at the door, and right after that he glanced at the sage’s desk.

With his mind blank except for his last clear decision in his head, he reached the table, grabbed the pen with trembling fingers and wrote three only words on the piece of paper on top of the small pile over there.

_I am sorry_

 

After that, he left without turning back, and so he never knew that the sage was there and saw him run away.


	13. Sixth Interlude - Grave e Deciso

It was past dinner and the castle was already preparing for the night as the sounds were slowly dying down when Wolfram heard a knock at his door.

Thinking it was a maid coming to collect his empty dishes given that no one else in the whole castle knocked and just waited for a reply outside the door, he allowed them to come in.

“…may I enter?”

Wolfram was giving the back to the door, busy watching at the blue starry sky outside the window, when he recognized the voice and jerked in surprise.

“Why are you here?!”, he queried, his voice still shaken by the astonishment.

At the question, he saw the other slightly fidget, his right hand scratching the back of his head like every time that he felt uneasy about something.

“…given that you’re going to leave for a whole month tomorrow morning I thought that you would have wanted to pass the night in our room…”

Wolfram remained speechless.

He could not remember when it was the last time that Yuuri had come to look for him in his quarters, and it was even more time since he did it after a quarrel.

“Wolf…”, the Maoh continued at his silence, and then he sighed heavily, his eyes on him but sad and tired.

Wolfram imagined that his own eyes might appear just the same as his, only green instead of black.

“Yuuri, I love you.”, he cut him short, and Yuuri sighed and the hem of his lips curved up in a sad and resigned smile, but also relieved.

“I love you too, Wolf. I love you _immensely_ , but I don’t think that doing it will solve anything…”, he declared and then, slowly, he went to sit on the sofa at the corner of the blond’s parlor.

Wolfram didn’t know how to reply to that, so he just looked at him with blank eyes and waited.

Yuuri patted the soft loveseat cushion at his right, silently asking the blond to reach him there and sit next to him.

Wolfram obeyed without thinking.

“If I break the engagement”, Yuuri started, grave, totally out of the blue, and Wolfram’s heart missed a beat at that breathtaking start, “you will hate me and run away from me. I can’t do that”, he declared unnaturally calm, his tone more than sad: miserable, “because I want you in my life. In my _everyday_ life.”, he explained.  
“I love _all_ of you in slightly different ways, because you’re different people”, he went on, “and you and Conrad are, together with our Greta, the ones I love the most, but that’s all…”, he confessed at last. “If I give up and do it with you, it’ll be as if I’m deceiving you. I’ll cage you more than you already are. And I know that it was extremely selfish of me to keep you locked in this engagement for so long, and for that I’m sorry”, he apologized, “but the last drop of dignity and respect I had for you forbid me to indulge in this last request of yours… because I’ve always planned to set you free once I would have been able to detach myself from you enough… but the more I stay with you, the more I don’t want you to leave me… so I think that it’s finally time for you to decide what you want to do with your life.”

Then he squeezed Wolfram’s hand for a brief instant before abruptly rising up from there, and once again he sadly smiled at him.

“Think about it during this month and then, if you’ll decide that it is ok with you even if I can’t love you the way you love me, I will do it with you and I’ll marry you. Otherwise we will break the engagement, but if that will be the case, I sincerely hope that you will stay by my side regardless, because I really can’t think of my life without you…”, he concluded and then walked to the door again. “Good night, Wolf…”, he said in slightly more than a whisper. “And good trip for tomorrow, because in your respect I won’t be there to send you off tomorrow morning.”

That said, the Maoh left, leaving a broken Wolfram behind.

…he wouldn’t have slept a wink that night: of that he was dead sure.


	14. Seventh Interlude - Nobilmente Sostenuto

“Uncle, I need to talk to you before I leave.”, Wolfram declared at breakfast. They would have left right after lunch that same day in order to reach the usual place to camp without any down time that late afternoon.

Waltrana studied his nephew for a while in silence and then seemed to decide that it wasn’t worth waiting any longer: he stood up and hinted at Wolfram to follow him to his office.

“What is it? I noticed that you acted slightly strange this past month. I thought it was because of the humiliating voices spreading around the castle after your last quarrel with the Maoh, but maybe I was wrong?”, he asked once they sat down again, one in front of the other at his desk.

That man really didn’t know what tact was…

Also, Wolfram had never had a chat with him that was a simple chat, just walking around somewhere or simply in the comfort of a soft sofa.

“Don’t look at me like that, nephew”, Waltrana went on “Did you really think that I wouldn’t have investigated the matter a little further after that I received a letter from Lord von Voltaire asking me to accommodate you and ten of your men for _a month’s patrol_ when everything here in Bielefeld is calm?”

Wolfram lowered his gaze.

“…obviously not”, the younger sighed. “But deep within I really hoped so.”

“Then what is it?”, Waltrana pried further, and Wolfram heavily sighed again.

“At my return, I’m going to end my engagement with the Maoh.”, he stated, and he saw his uncle’s eyes widen in surprise and, for once, he saw him turn speechless.

He snorted in front of the other’s stunned expression and then stood up again and reached the door, giving him his back.

“…then are you going to come back here? I think it’s time for you learn everything you need to take my place as the head of the Bielefeld House. You know that I’m planning to retire soon, after all. For your sake…”, he added, his voice betraying a hint of uneasiness.

And Wolfram opened the door before turning back at him, shaking his head with a half knowing and, despite everything, affectionate smile curving up his lips.

“No, uncle.”, he affirmed, and at his denial he saw him slightly relax despite his previous words. “I’ll stay by Yuuri’s side as he asked me to do if I decided to break the engagement after this month away.”, he explained at last. “But I promise that when I’ll feel ready to take your place at the Ten’s Council you’ll be the first one to know. In the meanwhile, I fear that you’ll have to bare with this youngster’s whims a little longer… after all”, he went on with a widening knowing smirk at his uncle’s snort in response, “both of us know that you like your job more than everything else in the world. I would never deprive you of your favorite pastime prematurely!”, and winking at him, he just left to go to prepare for his departure in a few hours.


	15. Eighth Dance - Assai Animato

Eleven days earlier, at his return from Bielefeld, Wolfram had reported his decision to Yuuri and paradoxically, since then, their relationship only improved… and not just slightly, but a lot.

At first neither of them believed it was really possible, but soon – just a matter of a couple of days, really –  they got used to the idea to the point that they even started to pass _all_ their free time together. And not only that, because the previous day, thanks to a sudden postponement of one of his scheduled commitments to another day, Yuuri even went to assist to his daily training for the first time ever on his own free will.

The only big difference now – except for the lack of quarrels and yells at all hours all around the castle – was at night, because Wolfram had clearly removed all his belongings from the Maoh’s quarters and had gone back to sleep in his own rooms.

Just that.

That afternoon in particular Wolfram was in the Maoh’s office, chatting and laughing with Yuuri about trivial stuff and recalling some old funny episode with the two of them and Greta, when the door slammed open all of a sudden.

“ _Shibuya!! Why didn’t you tell me----_ ”

Neither of them ever knew the exact words that the sage was going to throw at Yuuri, but the tone and the resentment for being kept in the dark by his own best friend over such an important issue made the meaning behind his unannounced presence there more than obvious.

“…I guess that I’ll leave the two of you alone, then…”, Wolfram cracked a forced smile to Yuuri and, on the other hand, he avoided the sage’s gaze, breaking with his words and a tone that he hoped that sounded just neutral and calm the embarrassed silence that had engulfed them after the other double black’s rushing inside. So he made to leave, but Yuuri stopped him.

“No, Wolf: stay. After all that’s something concerning the both of us…”, his ex-fiancé gently required and the blond cursed in his head and for a moment he closed his eyes in resignation.

So he sat back again and waited for the sage to do the same, taking the only other free seat in the small living corner of the Maoh’s office, right next to him…

In the sage’s defense, by the way, Wolfram had to concede that the man didn’t seem much more eager than he was about their friend’s decision that saw him to stay too.

“I’m sorry, Murata… I know that I should have told you, but really I didn’t know how to start… I couldn’t just send you a pigeon with a message that said that Wolfram and I broke up, could I?”, the Maoh attempted to justify himself for his lack of consideration towards him, but that really wasn’t much of an excuse.

“You could have come to the temple, then, or, for example, you could have sent me a message asking for my presence here! For all the Gods’ sake, Shibuya! Do you really see me as one of your friends?”, Ken complained, and Wolfram sighed.

“And here I thought that you were like that just towards me…”, the blond spouted out before realizing that he wasn’t just thinking that into his head and gaining back both the other’s attention without really desiring for it.

“It seems that our Maoh is just _feather-brained_ by nature…”, the sage promptly backed Wolfram’s comment in a spiteful and resentful tone.

“Don’t start to offend, Murata, come on!”, Yuuri started to protest then, probably, judging by his fidgeting and flushing in probable shame every time he threw a glance at Wolfram, regretting to have asked him to stay too. “I said that I’m sorry already! What else do you want me to say to you?!”

“Maybe he just wants to hear you say that you’re the greatest of wimps on both worlds and see you kneel in front of him asking for his forgiveness… and why not? Better be in regretful tears for your lack of consideration too”, the blond evilly suggested, and while Yuuri started to protest at his too harsh words, without thinking and out of pure reflex Wolfram threw a conspiratorial glance at the sage… and soon regretted it when he noticed the surprise on the other’s face instead of an expression matching his.

And only then he remembered the promise that they had made to each other now a month and a half ago, but with that it also occurred to him the unsettling memory of his last time by the temple, when he had left so rudely…

And, since he had come back, he had already had _two_ days off during which he could have kept his promise to the sage or, at least, that he could have used to go and apologize to him for his behavior. And even if the first free day he had after his coming back was just the day after the annulment of his engagement with the Maoh, for the second – two days earlier – he really had no excuse…

All of a sudden, Wolfram felt his face burn and his hands starting to sweat.

Gulping soundly, then, he abruptly stood up from his seat, hoping to be still in time to hide his own embarrassment to the both of them, and, just in case, he fixed his eyes on one of the maps on the walls so not to get distracted for any reason and unconsciously turn to watch at the sage to check his reaction.

“By the way”, he attempted to change topic and to distract the other two from his sudden flushing for no evident reason, “I just remembered that Gwendal asked me to run an errand for him, so, if both of you might excuse me…” and, this said, he just headed to the door the fastest he could without actually running and left, not daring to turn back.


	16. Eighth Interlude - Ritardando

In the past few days Yuuri had attempted to dig out the topic about the sage’s last abrupt visit and both their behaviors with him a lot since the sage had obviously proved to be a too tough nut to crack, but every time Wolfram had shown to be able to twist and turn until Yuuri just gave up and they could switch talking about something else.

Now it was his third day off since his return from Bielefeld already, and this time, maybe because Yuuri had even arranged to postpone many of his own commitments for the day in order to pass more time with him during the day, the Maoh didn’t seem ready to let him trick him with his words out of what he wanted to know.

“…why don’t you stop it already, Yuuri! How many times do I have to repeat to you that nothing out of the ordinary happened? I really had an errand for Gwendal to run the other day!”

“I asked Gwendal, so don’t lie to me, Wolf!”, Yuuri retorted at last, tired to be played with, and in front of the blatant exposure of his own guilt Wolfram turned red up to the ears in shame. “I just want to know!”, Yuuri continued “You’re both my friends, so I can’t be more happy if after so long you finally started to get along!”, he exclaimed, a little exasperated, and those words took Wolfram by surprise because he suddenly stopped and glanced at him with incredibly wide eyes, totally speechless.

“Come on, Wolf! What’s so shocking about what I said that you have to show me a face like that?!”, Yuuri protested and Wolfram turned even redder than a moment before.

How could he have thought that Yuuri could be angry at him for joking with the sage? Unlike him, he wasn’t the jealous and possessive type, and now they weren’t even engaged anymore…

Not that anything concretely happened between them anyway, but in the past month and a half he had worked so hard not to think about him that hearing Yuuri ask about him every single time they talked in the past few days had unnerved him to the point where he just snapped.

And to the point where he started to think too much of what had happened _that_ day… and, in part, even the previous one.

“……nothing……”, Wolfram replied at last. “It’s just……”, he started, but then he felt his cheeks flare up and stopped midsentence, looking down at the floor.

“It’s just? Come on, Wolf? What happened? If you tell me I might be able to help you solve this!”, Yuuri pried further, and Wolfram, still bright red in the face, at his friend’s last offer raised his head and watched at him with two _incredible_ puppy eyes, something that Yuuri had never witnessed to such an extent judging by his astonished expression at that view.

Then Wolfram, giving up, diverted his eyes from the other’s again and muffled a timid “…I acted rude to him the last time we met before the other day…”, and Yuuri opened his mouth as if to argue that it was nothing new, but then he closed it again and frowned pensive.

And then, knowing Murata, Yuuri asked, slightly alarmed.

“Did he make a pass at you?!”

In front of that, Wolfram’s eyes widened in response and, after a few seconds to recover from the scandalous question, the blond shook his head horrified.

“ _No_! He is your _best friend_!”, he harshly reprimanded him, “And he might be a pervert, but do you really think so low of him to even imagine him capable of something so lame as hitting at his best friend’s _fiancé_?! Really, Yuuri! He doesn’t deserve it! Not from you!”, he protested, and such an overheated reaction in _the sage’s_ defense coming from Wolfram of all people when he had always acted as if he couldn’t stand the man left the Maoh at best shocked.

“…Wolf…”, Yuuri sighed still studying the blond in front of him. “I thought you couldn’t stand him…”, he hinted and Wolfram’s face furiously flushed in utter response.

“…I…”, he hesitated, but soon he kept a grip of himself again, “yes, I can’t stand him. He’s a pervert, and I don’t like people like him.”, he declared putting up his usual snotty pose.

“Despite your words, the other day you seemed quite friendly towards him, and you even teamed up with him against me at some point…”, Yuuri went on, knowingly, because he could be a wimp, but every single shojo manga Murata had compelled him to read had the heroine who acted like she hated the male protagonist only to hide her true feelings for him.

Wolfram swallowed hard under his ex-fiancé’s studying glare, but then he found his usual composure back.

“You deserved it.”, he retorted. “He had all the rights to be angry at you! I thought you had told him, actually! Even I was astonished to know that you didn’t!”

“…are you sure that you don’t like him, instead?”, Yuuri untactfully asked him back, totally out of the blue, and that destabilized the blond for a moment.

“…don’t be ridiculous, Yuuri!”, he snapped, but he also turned as red as a tomato. “And from today onwards I don’t want to hear you talking about these unbefitting things ever again, is that clear enough?”, he threatened and, with that, he turned his heels on him and left.

And after such a conversation with Yuuri, even if he had actually planned of going to the temple at some point to apologize to the sage for his leaving all of a sudden the last time he had gone to see him, now he just couldn’t go anymore.

And like that another day off was gone to waste for that aim…

Maybe next week it would have been different.


	17. Ninth Dance - Ardito

During the last three months Murata had been called by the castle, by his brother Gwendal or Yuuri, seven times, every time for quite trivial and fast problems to solve. And every single time he had come, they had met… and every single time it was by chance.

Once it was in the hallway out of his brother’s office, the next in the courtyard, the next again around the gates once he was coming back from a short patrol with his men in the terrains around the castle; once again it was near the kitchens, where he had found him with a bun in his hands while chatting with Yozak.

That last one, Wolfram was in the barn, preparing his horse for a short ride right after training and before dinner.

“Fancy finding you here of all places, my lord. I was ready to head back to the temple, and you seem ready to leave… Won’t you kindly escort me back, then? Obviously if you have nothing else to do instead.”, the double black suggested, starting the first conversation longer than “good morning” or “good afternoon” that by now had become all that they seemed comfortable to share since that last time in Yuuri’s office four and a half month before already.

“In truth I……”, Wolfram hesitated.

He was ready to go for a walk and he wasn’t good at lying, but he really didn’t feel comfortable to accept the sage’s invitation.

…it was awkward…

But where the last time that the sage had asked him if he could accompany him back he had left him the liberty to refuse, this time he didn’t.

“Please, my lord. I would like to have a word with you. I don’t like this last development between us. It’s exhausting, and I can’t stand it anymore. Not after these last happenings, at least.”

The sage’s tone was stern and grave and tired, and Wolfram found no room to argue: in short, he was compelled to accept.

But despite the man’s last words, the entire trip passed in silence.

When they finally reached the gates, Wolfram saw the sage hint at the guard there to leave.

The moment they were alone, then, Ken finally spoke.

“Now, my lord”, he started still grave. “You have your last chance to decide if you want to leave, and then everything between us will be back to normal and you can forget everything that happened among these walls, our little bet included…”, he made a pause, “…or if you want to enter.”, he suggested, his eyes inscrutable and his voice mildly seductive. “If you will follow me inside”, he went on, “I will show you what I denied you last time.”

Not a hint of a smile on those always irreverent and sneering lips this time.

Wolfram felt as if his heart was ready to turn on him any time soon.

“…persuade me to stay,” the blond whispered, almost a prayer and still uncertain about what he really wanted, but Ken shook his head.

“No, my lord.”, he reiterated his denial, “I won’t say a word more than I already said. From this moment on, it is only your choice to take.”

Wolfram was breathless, his head light: maybe he had never been this conflicted in all his life.

He hesitated for a couple of eternal minutes out there, still on his horse back, in total silence while the sage patiently waited for him to reach a decision.

In the end, he dismounted.


	18. Tenth Dance – Rubato

Wolfram was panting, his hands were sweating and lightly shaking, and he felt so light-headed that even his view was starting to get blurry while they brought their horses at hand to the stable next to the main gate.

He attempted to knot the reins to a hook on the wall three times before getting it right because of the shaking, but the sage was tactful enough not to point that out and he even decided to wait him outside so not to put him in a shameful position more than he already was.

“Here, follow me.”, Murata stated in a kind tone when he reached him outside, but it still sounded like an order regardless.

Wolfram obeyed and, in his head, he thanked Shinou that the sage had allowed him to walk behind him and not next to him, because he could feel his face burning.

All of a sudden, Ken stopped at a corner under a porch and he almost hit his back not noticing.

“Sorr---“, he started to apologize, his voice shamefully trembling, but the sage covered his words with his next order.

“Close your eyes and take my hand. I will guide you from here on.”

Wolfram blinked a few times, not expecting anything like that, but in the end he accepted the hand offered to him and obeyed.

They didn’t walk for long like that, and he could tell that they remained outside, first by the air shuffling his hair around, and then by the heat of the sun rays hitting his skin directly and warming his clothes.

He could smell a nice scent in the air… he knew that he should have been able to recognize the aroma, but somehow it didn’t occur to him what it was exactly, so he continued to blindly follow the sage while the familiar scent intensified around him at his every step.

When, at last, he sensed the sage stop walking, he had to suppress the urge to open his eyes and have a look around.

_Where did he already smell that aroma?_

But he controlled that impulse and just waited for the other to allow him to look.

Anyway, contrary to what he expected, that order never came and, at its place, two soft lips brushed against his while he still wasn’t looking.

For the shock he blinked his eyes open and he lost his breath in front of what his eyes witnessed.

“What…”, he started, astounded, but every other word was lost somewhere in his throat.

“All you see at your feet started with a single flower eleven years ago, when we came back from Dai Shimaron.”, Ken declared serious, but his voice was slightly and peculiarly uneven, only trace of what might be his inner turmoil. “That day I made a promise to myself… a selfish one, and a quite unkind one towards my best friend, actually, if everything between you two would have worked out just fine…”, he confessed, his black eyes never leaving those green pools in front of him. “If from that single flower I reached one thousand and one, like the nights in that story that you forced me to translate for you after you heard about it from Jennifer-san the second time you had visited Earth, then I would have confessed my feelings to you, regardless of everything and everyone else… even you. They are one thousand seven hundred and fifty-four…”, then he bent and picked up one that he offered him. “Three…”

Wolfram shook his head, amazed and incredulous at his eyes, and snorted, and then burst out in an earnest laughter in the end.

“You’re crazy! They’re so many!!”

…what else could he say in front of such a field of Beautiful Wolframs?!

“They just need devotion and love to bloom beautifully… such as the beautiful creature they took their name from.”, he embarrassedly declared, and Wolfram blushed hard, but he didn’t lower his gaze and, on the contrary, he even threw his arms at the other’s neck and kissed him hungrily this time.

And when at last he let the sage’s lips go to take a breath before starting again from where he had left, he dared a bold new challenge.

“Show me how beautifully I can bloom.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I really hope you enjoyed this story as much as I enjoyed writing it! If so, please leave me a kudos and/or a comment! :D  
> I just love these two too much to leave them alone. I've nothing against the canon couple, but I love these two better together! XD  
> See you around again! ;)
> 
> PS: if you want me to continue it a little longer you just need to ask, otherwise I'll leave it like that... after all it's good like this too XD


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